Red and white lighthouse in Jamestown Accra

A walking tour of Jamestown, Accra – a place of resilience and beauty

A year ago when my mom came to visit us, we first discovered Jamestown. Along with Usshertown these are the oldest districts of Accra. With its iconic bright red and white lighthouse and vibrant colourful buildings, this fishing town is an enlivening place to walk through, and although the extreme poverty will likely leaving you heartbroken and humbled, it is the overwhelming sense of resilience of its people that makes the biggest impression, and this strength pulses through the town like a heart pounding after a strenuous run.

The peculiar Posuban shrines and fanciful Asafo flags of the Fante people of Ghana

It is the delightful mix of bright red, yellow and turquoise colours, shapes and patterns that look like those on playing cards, hearts dangling off balconies that remind me of traditional Scandinavian Christmas ornaments and a blonde man sitting drinking tea at a table with an African man that could be a comic block from a Tin Tin adventure book - these things have me somewhat mesmerized at the photo on my screen. Am I looking at a beautifully illustrated page of a children’s story book or an actual place in Ghana? And how on earth does such an eccentric looking place fit into the culture and history of this country?

Kayayei – the carrier girls of Ghana who bear the load of goods that they will likely never be able to afford

We reach the end of the narrow fabric alleyway of Makola market where we have given into ‘just one more piece’ after spotting a unique African wax print of elegant swallows mid flight. The bird prints are quite rare and we don’t see them very often. We are hot and experiencing what I've termed ‘fabric…

The Magical Madness of Makola Market in Accra, Ghana

Makola market is one of those places that expats here seem to love, hate or tolerate for a once off touristy outing. I fall into the first category and this doesn’t surprise me when I think back to how much I used to enjoy trips with my mom to the Durban fleamarkets. Did you know…

Ghana Independence Day Wanderings

63 years ago Ghana gained its independence from the British and its name changed from the Gold Coast to Ghana, with Dr Kwame Nkrumah sworn in as Ghana's first president. To commemorate this important day we enjoyed a public holiday a month ago on Friday 6 March. As it was the last Independence Day we…